Getting Closer and Closer
by Tomte Mushroom
Summary: Daryl and Carol continue their dance... becoming closer as friends... will they ever become lovers?
1. Chapter 1

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: To everyone who read my first story "Getting Closer" in the last year, I am sorry, I have been too chicken to read reviews until today. Thank you all for your kind words! This story is sort of a continuation of that story, but not really. It is only Carol's point of view this time.]

SCENE: The prison courtyard.

TIME: Just before the beginning of Season 4

CHAPTER 1

For what seemed like the millionth time, Carol took a deep breath and sighed as she covertly watched Daryl's fine ass bend over. She felt the familiar warmth rush through her body and knew that it must be that time of month… ovulating again. She wished she wasn't such a slave to her hormones, but she had been this way since she was 14, and at 44 it didn't seem to be any less of a problem. At least for the last 13 years she had a convenient source of relief for her one week a month of unbearable sexual tensions. Despite his many (and deep!) problems, she couldn't fault her late husband Ed's willingness to always be hot and ready.

It had been nearly a year since their daughter Sophia's death, and Carol was making a new life for herself, regaining the confidence she had lost from Ed's constant verbal and sometimes physical abuse. She was ready for a new man in her bed, but there were "slim pickins" at their home in the prison. She knew which man she wanted, but he resisted all her flirtations, driving her crazy in more ways than one.

Carol sighed and turned away after Daryl stood up and went in the opposite direction. She silently argued with herself: "Get a grip on yourself, woman! You can handle this… you don't need a man." Even as she thought this, she knew it wasn't true. Sure, masturbation was fun, but…! She wanted a man! She wanted THAT man!

Once again she went through the list of men in their little community. Most were too old, too young, or already taken. Briefly she wished that Shane was still alive, thinking "Now he was mighty fine to look at!" but she knew that he would never have truly wanted Carol, that he would have always been thinking of Lori. And for a half-second she thought "That's okay, he can think of whoever he wants, as long as it's me he's fucking!" She giggled out loud, then covered her mouth and glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. She didn't want to have to try to explain that train of thought to anyone!

She glanced at her watch and realized she needed to cook breakfast, then prepare for "Story Time" in the prison library. At first, after losing Sophia, it had been very difficult for her to spend time with other children, but as her pain became easier to bear, she saw it as a way to honor her daughter. By teaching other children how to protect themselves, she would save them from Sophia's horrible fate. She knew that Sophia would have been happy to see her mother's confidence blooming.

An hour later, while finishing the breakfast meat, she saw Daryl again, and the flush returned to her skin. She took him out for a look at the herd piled up on the fence, and on a silly impulse, she called him "Pookie" and batted her eyelashes at him. He looked at her with amusement and nudged her shoulder, but did not flirt back as she had hoped. She cursed silently, "Damn it, I know he cares about me, why can't he lust for me? Even a little bit?"


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

In the following days, as a deadly new infection broke out in the prison, there was no time to think of her own needs. Carol was so busy worrying about everyone's health, and doing whatever it took to protect her loved ones, that all thoughts of sex were far from her mind. Then, unexpectedly, she was completely on her own. As she drove away from Rick, she couldn't believe that he had unilaterally banished her, that she would not have a chance to plead her case before the council. She would not get to say goodbye to the children. But most heartbreaking was the thought that she would never see Daryl again. She continued driving away from the prison, as Rick had demanded, as she struggled to find a solution.

After a few miles she circled around and parked near the railroad tracks on a small dirt road on the far side of the prison. She had seen railroad tracks going along one side of the prison and knew that Daryl often hunted near there, so she waited in her car and slept fitfully. In the morning she followed these tracks, assuming that they would lead to the prison. From the edge of the woods, she saw the minivan with Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese, and Bob enter the prison. She was hopeful that her friends had found the needed medicines and the infection might be cured. She began to wonder if she could return to the prison and be forgiven for her drastic attempt to stop the spread of the infection….

As she contemplated her next move, she heard the noises of vehicles approaching and flattened herself in the bushes to observe. With shock and horror, she witnessed the Governor's attack on her friends. She wanted to help but she knew that alone, she could do nothing but get herself killed. Through her tears, she saw some people running away via the railroad tracks at the other side of the clearing. She stayed under the cover of the woods and paralleled the tracks, working her way through the underbrush slowly and quietly, until she was out of sight of the prison and the herd of walkers. She followed the tracks for almost 24 hours until she found Mika, Lizzie, and Judith. They led her to Tyreese, and to her shock, he did not reject her.

Over the course of the next week or two (she actually lost count of the days) as she cared for the three girls and helped Tyreese with his grief over losing Karen and Sasha, she kept alive a small hope of seeing Daryl again. Perhaps Terminus would be a new sanctuary for them all, safer than the prison. She had seen the Governor go down, so they no longer had him to fear.

At the farmhouse they began to relax and even enjoy life a little bit. She delighted in showing the girls how to create delicious candied nuts. She laughed at Mika's silly name for the doll she found. They even had a nice crib and some baby supplies for Judith! But then… Lizzie….

That afternoon, all hope was lost. Carol had to shut down all her emotions. She was ready to die, and so she confessed to Tyreese that she had killed Karen and David. When Tyreese did not beat her or kill her, she was too drained to even be surprised or relieved. That night they both slept fitfully in their chairs, all too aware of the one tiny precious life that they had to protect.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The next day, it was obvious that Tyreese was barely a shell of his former self. As they continued their walk along the tracks toward Terminus, Carol decided that the best thing for him, and Judith, was to be around other people who could help take care of them. But she wasn't ready yet… not ready to give her heart to new friends, and not ready to give up on her tiny sliver of hope of finding Daryl. She told Tyreese, "I'm gonna get you both there, make sure you're safe… but I'm not gonna stay."

And then they heard gunshots coming from Terminus. Carol found an alternate route to get there, and along the way they found some guy talking on a walkie-talkie about a "chick with a sword" and a "kid's hat." She couldn't believe her luck, could it really be that Michonne and Carl had survived and gone to Terminus?! It didn't sound like they were being welcomed, so she put her pistol to the guy's head and demanded answers.

Carol knew that Tyreese would be useless in a battle, so she left him to protect Judith and guard their captive, as she went off on her own to investigate. She resolved to DO SOMETHING this time and not just watch from the bushes like when the Governor attacked. When Tyreese asked what she was going to do, she told him with grim determination, "I'm gonna kill people." She grabbed the Terminus guy's bag of fireworks, and her big black M-16 rifle, and Tyreese's M-1 Carbine rifle, and headed out.

Remembering the story of Rick and Glenn covering themselves in walker guts in Atlanta, she quickly took down the nearest moving corpse, and spread goo on her poncho, then mud on her face. Quickly, all those action movies Carol had watched with her brothers went through her mind. Could she fight like those martial arts stars? No, but she had a gun and some fireworks, and she could surely think of some way to distract the jerks holding her friends, and give them a chance to fight back. If she could get closer, she knew she was good enough with the rifle to kill a few.

Carol saw the Termites dragging several tied-up people out of a cargo container and into a building. From such a distance, she couldn't see who the people were, but she noticed a man with a salt & pepper beard and longish dark curly hair. And then she saw a person wearing a black leather jacket covered by a denim vest with dirty white patches on each side of the back – could those be angel wings? Her heart leapt! Daryl!

Using the rifle with the high-powered scope (the M-16), she punctured a large propane tank that sat near the fence. As the gas spewed out, she quickly aimed a 'rocket fireworks thingy' (that's what she called it) at the tank. It wasn't until the next day, as she had a moment to gather her thoughts, that she realized how lucky she was to not only find such a handy tool, but also to be able to hit close enough to the tank with her first try, since she had never used fireworks before.

Carol hid the 2 rifles under her bloody poncho and shambled along with the walkers, right into the big hole in the fence she had created with the explosion. Once inside, she wasn't really sure where to go, so she just started shooting everyone with a gun that she could see. Her bloody poncho 'protected' her from the walkers, but any stray bullet could take her out, so the fewer shooters, the better.

When she entered the room piled high with guns, stuffed animals, and jewelry, she realized what was happening here. Guns might be scavenged on a supply run because they were useful, but teddy bears and watches, not likely. So they must have been taken from live people – people who now didn't need them – people who must have died without having loved ones to give them to. That could only mean one thing: the people of Terminus were murderers! And by the looks of it, Carol's friends from the prison were far from being the first to be attacked here. The Termites had killed dozens of living human beings! And children… Carol couldn't even let her mind go there.

She saw a familiar man's watch and realized that the bearded man might have been Rick (forgetting momentarily that Rick had given his watch to that boy at the subdivision, the day he banished her…) Then she saw a familiar crossbow and confirmed her hope that yes, Daryl was here! Hoping that the explosion had helped distract the enemies, she quickly moved along to try to find her friends.

In a strange room full of candles, Carol was caught by a woman with a pistol, but she kept her cool. As she pretended to comply with the demand to drop her weapons, she performed a classic action hero move and quickly brought her rifle up for a hip-shot, spraying bullets in her captor's direction. Unfortunately, she missed, and soon found herself being shoved, then rolling on the ground, wrestling with a taller and heavier opponent, much like a night when Ed had been drinking. But now she had the confidence to succeed, and a weapon to change the balance of power. She pointed the rifle at the woman and hesitated… killing from an armed enemy from distance is easier than killing an unarmed person face-to-face… and she realized that she might get some information from this woman. Then, thoroughly disgusted by what she learned from the woman, Carol decided not to shoot her, and instead let the walkers have her.

As she exited the building, Carol saw some people climbing the fence to safety, but walkers blocked her from following them. One of the people looked like Rick. She hoped that it really was her friends escaping, because things inside the compound were quickly becoming far too dangerous for her to keep looking around. She struggled to find another way through the fence surrounding Terminus, and worked her way through the woods toward the side where she saw them exit. Once she was clear of the herd, she removed the bloody poncho and used a clean rag to wipe most of the mud from her face, trying to wipe from her mind the horrors she had seen.

After a bit of walking she heard a few strange voices, then a familiar one: Glen! And Maggie! She slowly walked up the last small hill toward them, careful not to shuffle her feet, lest they mistake her for a walker.

For a moment Carol stood in stunned silence, looking at all the survivors, more of her friends than she ever thought she'd see again. And then, HE turned, she saw recognition and joy in his eyes, and all thoughts were gone as Daryl ran to her. They embraced and cried together as time stood still. No words were necessary. Carol was so overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn't find any words, even when Rick asked her "Did you do that?" She nodded, and Rick embraced her too. Could it be that he had forgiven her? Again, the joy washed over her. Finally, she composed herself enough to say simply "You have to come with me." And she led Rick to his daughter, and Sasha was re-united with Tyreese.

As the group moved along the railroad tracks, Daryl fell into step beside Carol. They didn't need to speak, or touch, or even look at each other. Just being together again, their hearts were full. With Daryl by her side, Carol felt that for this moment, all was right with her world.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

That evening as they settled into an empty gas station to rest, Daryl plopped down on the floor next to Carol. They leaned against the wall in silence, watching as Carl played with Judith, Tyreese and Sasha talked quietly, and Glen and Maggie checked each other for injuries and just generally enjoyed touching each other. As darkness fell, Daryl got up to relieve Abraham from watch duty, and Carol lay down with her head on her backpack to sleep. She awoke with a start a few hours later as she heard Daryl lay down behind her. She rolled over and placed a hand on his arm. He gave her a small smile, then closed his eyes and quickly started snoring. Carol was exhausted and drifted right back to sleep, but awoke at dawn to discover that her hand was no longer on Daryl's arm, it was gently grasped in his hand.

Carol drifted back to sleep, awaking to the soft sounds of men talking in the convenience store part of the gas station. First she heard Daryl: "Man, we don't hafta walk. This white minivan has 2 flat tires and a dead battery, but we can probably get it fixed up with stuff right here. Then we can take it to find a couple other cars and some food."

Eugene piped up "I can git you some battery power, man. I just need some Epsom salt."

Glen added "And I saw a huge stack of tires out back when I went to… you know… anyways, there's gotta be some that are just thin, not full of holes."

Carol got up and joined them in the convenience store area. All the food and drinks were long gone, but there were a few things left on the shelves. She stashed some aspirin and antacids in her bag. She moved over to the hot dog and coffee area, and found a box of those tiny salt & pepper packets under the counter. "Here Eugene, will this work?"

He looked up in surprise and said "Yes ma'am, it certainly will. Now I just need some water, preferably distilled."

"Can't help ya there" she said, but he was already moving away, poking around in the tools and trash in the auto shop area. In half an hour, he had assembled a small still and asked Daryl to gather some sticks from outside and start a fire for it. They used muddy water from a puddle and set about producing clean water for drinking and for the battery.

While Eugene gave Carl a lesson in physical chemistry, Daryl and Abraham worked on the minivan tires. By early afternoon everything was ready, including 1 spare car battery. It had been decided that only a small group would go. Maggie and Glenn didn't want to be separated again, nor did Tyreese and Sasha. Abraham wouldn't leave Eugene unprotected, and Rosita stuck to Abraham like glue. So the group consisted of Daryl with his bow and very large knife, Carol with her M-16 and a large knife, Bob with a pistol and a pocket-knife, and Tara with a crowbar and a screwdriver. Michonne stayed behind to craft a sword and other sharp weapons from tools in the shop, with Eugene's help.

In about 2 hours of driving (and backtracking) on partially-blocked roads, they hadn't found any vehicles in running condition, and only a little stale food and water, but they did luck out and find a county map (only partially bloody.) Finally they came to a small hill on the edge of a small town. Daryl turned off the engine and coasted the minivan the last 100 yards, explaining "Maybe nothing will hear us coming." He drove nearly right up to the door of a dollar store so they could have a way to escape the building, without worrying about walkers blocking the way to the vehicle. Tara stayed outside as a lookout, while the others went inside carefully.

Fortunately the only walker in the building was in the bathroom, blocked by an overturned soda fridge. Unfortunately, all the food and water was gone. They did load up several small laundry baskets and large gift bags with useful things like "Tupperware" containers (which can transport water from Eugene's still) and steak knives (you can never have too many knives!) Daryl made sure they took several items for starting fires, including pencil sharpeners (for making tinder from sticks), purse-sized mirrors, Vaseline, and scented wax blocks from the potpourri section. Carol found some baby socks, teething gel, and a pacifier, as well as some bars of soap. She also slipped a couple packs of condoms in her bag, for Glen & Maggie. Bob grabbed a couple decks of cards (for relaxation), some coloring books (to use the pages as toilet paper), and a pack of gum that had fallen behind the cash register.

Things seemed quiet all around the dollar store, so Daryl started the minivan and continued driving toward town. Just before the residential and business areas really began, they found a church with a daycare in the basement. Carol beamed when she found 2 partial containers of baby formula and 4 baby bottles, a pack of disposable diapers (only slightly too large for Judith), and three cloth diapers. They also grabbed some small stuffed animals for Judith, some paper and colored pencils for Carl, a pocket-sized Bible, 1 industrial sized roll of paper towels, and a handful of clean trash bags. Out back they found an old pickup truck with a quarter tank of gas. Once Daryl installed the fresher battery, he coaxed it to start up. They transferred all the supplies to the pickup and sent Bob and Tara back to the rest of the group.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Daryl and Carol took the minivan into the residential part of town, hoping that it would have more supplies, and fewer walkers, than the small business district. They were partially correct.

In the first house they were able to find blankets and some clean clothes for almost everybody, which they stuffed into pillowcases for carrying out to the minivan. A few half-dead AAA and D batteries and a flashlight went into Carol's bag. There was no food, water, or ammo to be found, but Daryl did grab some darts off a dartboard in the garage. "For making new arrows," he explained when Carol raised an eyebrow at him. They stashed their new supplies in the minivan and walked next door.

In the second house they found some more clean clothes, and some herbal shampoo. Daryl laughed when he saw Carol sniffing it. She just harrumphed at him. They cut the cords from mini-blinds (you can never have too much rope!) and stuffed them in pillowcases with a few other useful odds and ends. They stashed their new supplies in the minivan and walked next door.

In the third house they found a tower of beer cans built just inside the front door, which went crashing down. They tried to scavenge through this house quickly, in case any walkers had heard the sound and came their way, but they weren't fast enough. Soon each side of the house had at least 5 walkers, and night was falling. They quickly pushed furniture in front of the few windows that were big enough for someone to get in, and barricaded themselves in the master bedroom upstairs. Carol found some candles and matches near the bathtub and lit them. Daryl positioned himself in a corner of the room, facing the door, with his crossbow cocked and laying in his lap. Carol went into the bathroom and closed the door. She undressed, wiped herself down with a dry towel, then looked in the mirror and scowled at her messy reflection. She didn't have any water to wash up with, so she just put some deodorant on, and put on clean underwear and a clean tank top that smelled like lavender fabric softener. The tank top was slightly too small, and she would have preferred it to not be neon pink, but it was clean. She returned to the bedroom and started to sit beside Daryl. He cocked his head, sniffed, then said "Ah. Now I know why you were in there forever."

Carol laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. "Well, if we're going to be stuck in this one room all night, there's no reason you should have to put up with my stench."

Daryl snorted. "Yeah, but now you're… flowery."

Carol just shrugged. They sat quietly for a while listening to the faint groans of the walkers outside, then Daryl handed her the crossbow and said "Take over, will ya?"

He headed into the bathroom and shut the door. Carol heard the tinkle of pee in the dry toilet bowl. Then she heard the medicine cabinet squeak open. A minute later Daryl came out shirtless and headed for the closet. As he pulled a shirt from a hanger and began to rip off the sleeves, Carol couldn't help herself. He looked so damn fine she just had to tell him! "Wait, don't put it on yet. Let me look at you."

Daryl looked up in embarrassment and shrugged into the shirt anyways. "What? Nah. Um. No." He tried to button it up in a hurry, missing two on the way. As he sat back down beside Carol and reached for the crossbow, she slid her hand in the shirt's opening, feeling his hard pecs. He flinched a little, but didn't move away or say anything.

Carol leaned closer and looked him in the eyes. He stared back at her like a deer in the headlights. Carol wanted to laugh at the idea of this big strong man being afraid of romance, but she knew if she laughed at him, he might take it wrong. Instead, she just smiled sweetly, said "Nice chest" and gave his pecs a little squeeze.

Daryl stared at her briefly, laughed, then looked down her tank top and said "Back atcha."

Carol took this as a cue to be playful. She cupped her breasts, raising them and pushing them together as she leaned toward him. "Aww, these little thangs? Why thank you, sugar," she said in an exaggerated Southern drawl.

Daryl was flabbergasted at this turn of events. He continued to stare at her cleavage, so she giggled like a schoolgirl and jiggled her boobs. He felt himself getting hard and shifted his leg slightly.

Carol glanced down, saw that there was a party starting in his pants, and decided to be bold, like she was when she was in college. Rising up to her knees, she cupped her breasts again, and put them practically in his face. When he was thoroughly distracted, she moved her hands quickly to his grizzled cheeks and brought his face up for a kiss. She only meant it to be brief, tentative, but once their lips touched she felt a jolt of electricity through her body and she didn't want to pull away.

Apparently Daryl felt something, too, because he jerked slightly under her touch, then kissed her back roughly. He let go of the crossbow in his lap, grabbed her hair and pulled her in tightly, crushing her lips. After a breathless moment, Carol pulled back and grinned at him. Wordlessly, she picked the crossbow off his lap and straddled him, leaning in for another kiss. He met her more than halfway, crashing their heads together as he rushed to claim her lips. Months of playful teasing had built such a sexual tension between them that now, alone for the first time, their passion was set free like wild horses. Or rabbits.

His kisses were clumsy but fervent. She grabbed at his shirt, wanting him even closer. When she pulled back to take a breath, she removed the ugly neon pink tank top in one swift motion. Daryl reached out tentatively to touch the lace on her white bra. She grabbed his hand and mashed it to her breast, forcing his fingers into contact with her sensitive areola. Apparently this was all the encouragement he needed. He roughly kissed her lips, her chin, her neck. Then his beard tickled her nipple, which with his help had come free of its lacy prison, and she moaned, grinding her hips.

Daryl slid her off his lap, onto the floor, and crushed her beneath him as he continued his exploration of her breasts. He felt his hot breath all over her neck and chest, and she began to pant. That's when she realized that he was actually crushing her into the hardwood floor, and she couldn't breathe deep if she wanted to.

Carol pulled Daryl's head up and kissed his lips softly, then whispered "Wait…"

He looked at her with confusion, starting to slide off her onto the floor. "Sorry…" he mumbled.

"No, not sorry," she said huskily. "Just…" she motioned to the bed, "let's get comfy."

"Oh." And he smiled.

Carol took his hand and led him to the bed. As she lay back on the soft pillows and reached both arms up for him, her breasts smooshed together, creating another great view. Daryl's smile broadened and he straddled her, burying his face in her cleavage. As she groaned and moved beneath him, his erection strained at the fabric of his jeans. Carol glanced down, saw it, and reached out a hand to stroke it tentatively through the denim. Now it was Daryl's turn to groan and slowly rotate his hips. Carol reached for the zipper and Daryl stopped her.

He opened his eyes and looked at her with concern. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Carol replied in a breathy voice. "Oh God… Yes…!"

Daryl grinned from ear to ear as he said "Well, alrighty then!" and unzipped his jeans himself. Carol's reply was a deep moan and a hot hand on his now bare shaft. But that was nothing compared to the moans she was making in just a few minutes, after he removed both their pants and entered her gently.

"OH GOD, YES!" she groaned loudly, trying to muffle her voice in his shoulder. As he continued thrusting into her, with more confidence and more force in each thrust, she began to lose control. Her groans were matched by his grunts. Anyone listening would have thought that the room was full of walkers looking for a meal.

They both reached orgasm pretty quickly. It had, after all, been a very long time for each of them. When he collapsed on top of her in a ball of sweat, she smiled and pushed his long hair back from his face. Placing a kiss on his lips, she whispered "Thank you."

Daryl slid off her and continued panting a moment, then realized that she had spoken. He cocked his head and looked at her. "Thank you? Really? Thank YOU!"

At this, they both laughed, then lay back, fanning themselves.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Despite the loud groaning of their lovemaking, the sound had not attracted any additional walkers. Daryl got up and looked out the window, naked. Carol smiled and said softly "Nice view!"

Daryl snickered at her "Oh, stop!" He slipped his jeans and boots on and listened at the bedroom door, before pulling it open and quietly looking down the stairs. The inside of the house was still clear, although one living room window had been broken and rotting fingers were scratching at the bookcase in front of it.

When Daryl came back into the bedroom, he saw a nude Carol bending over in the bathroom, drying herself off with a towel. He leaned in the doorframe and watched as she got dressed. She knew he was watching, but she was too relaxed and happy to have any shyness with him right now.

Daryl finally spoke from the doorway. "Everything looks the same out there. Why don't you get some sleep and I'll keep watch."

Carol shrugged. "I'm not sleepy, I'm hungry."

Daryl grabbed one of their bags of supplies from the floor and sat on the bed with her. They shared a granola bar and washed it down with a swig of mouthwash. Then Carol couldn't resist tasting his minty lips. This time he showed no hesitation in claiming her entire body with his mouth and hands. Their passion was quieter and slower this time, but still very satisfying for both of them.

Carol snuggled into the pillows and looked at Daryl with droopy, satisfied eyes. "Now I'm sleepy."

He smiled at her. "That's good… but put yer clothes on. Just in case…."

She pursed her lips and dipped her head. "Yeah. You're right. Of course."

Daryl just chuckled and watched her get dressed again. He did another perimeter check, and when he returned, she was asleep. He blew out all the candles but one and sat near the window, waiting for the dawn, and wondering how they were going to get out of this siege.

In the morning he saw that the east bedroom had a huge tree outside the window, which was the start of a group of large and medium trees which spread haphazardly to the yard next door. He formulated a plan.

When Carol woke up, he told her to sort through the supplies they had gathered in this house and take only the most vital things. Anything "extraneous" like deodorant or books would have to be left behind. Once everything was consolidated into two pillowcases, he used the power cords from lamps to tie them to Carol's backpack so everything was in one large, easy to grab bundle with a long "rope" attached.

He took her to the east bedroom, showed her the trees and explained his plan. Carol slung her rifle over her shoulder and said with more confidence than she felt, "Okay, I'm ready."

Daryl frowned at her. "Wait a minute." He tore strips from a sheet and used them to

tie her rifle securely to her back, so it wouldn't slip off her shoulder and unbalance her as she climbed or ran. With a quick slit from her knife she could free the rifle if needed.

Then he went to the west bedroom and started throwing baseballs, tennis balls, and coffee mugs at the west neighbor's house. The sounds attracted the walkers from all sides of the house, and Carol was able to climb the trees safely to the east neighbor's porch roof.

Once there, she quietly opened a window ("Thank goodness for old-fashioned double-hung windows! I'm glad I didn't have to break it," she thought.) Going downstairs, she exited on the side of the house farthest from where Daryl had lured the walkers. Quietly she made her way to the minivan, then started it up and drove to where Daryl was waiting in the east bedroom window. He quickly lowered the backpack bundle to the roof of the minivan, then jumped down and held onto the luggage rack as Carol drove them to safety. Once they were a couple blocks away, Carol stopped and Daryl got off the roof with a whoop of triumph. After a quick hug and stowing their supplies, they headed back to their friends at the gas station.


End file.
